Withdrawals: Balances Due and Refunds

If you are considering withdrawing or taking a leave of absence, we encourage you to consult with your academic advisor, the Registrar's Office, the Business Office, and the Financial Aid Office.

A student may receive a refund for the semester in which he/she withdraws depending on the date of withdrawal, minus the non-refundable deposit and any non-refundable fees. A student withdrawing (from a course or program) or taking a leave of absence from the school is required to complete a Request to Withdraw/Leave of Absence form and obtain the Registrar's signature.

Your balance due or refund will be based on:

The date you submit the applicable form (Request to Withdrawal/Leave of Absence)—if you are a Residential student

The date you last accessed the LMS (Learning Management System)—if you are a Distance Learning student

The date you submit written notification of withdrawal (date of request on Request to Withdraw form or date of email to Registrar) if you are participating in the Residential Summer Session.

Note: Distance Learning students who are attending Residential Program classes will be subject to the Residential program withdrawal policy for those Residential credits.

Note: Residential students who are attending Distance Learning Program classes will be subject to the Distance Learning program withdrawal policy for those Distance Learning credits.

Note: Students participating in the AJD program will be subject to the Residential Program Withdrawal Policy for all semesters (Summer, Fall & Spring).

Dismissals & Suspensions:

A student who is either dismissed or suspended for any reason during the academic semester will receive a tuition credit based on the applicable tuition credit percentage in effect at the time of dismissal/suspension (within 1st 4 weeks).

RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM

The Fall/Spring semester tuition charges will be adjusted according to the following schedule for students taking Residential classes. A student withdrawing (from a course or program) or taking a leave of absence from the school is required to complete an Request to Withdraw/Leave of Absence form and obtain the Registrar's signature. No credit adjustments will be made for any non-refundable fees or deposits.

Spring/Fall Terms

Tuition Credit

If form is dated prior to the beginning of the semester

100%

If form is dated during Add/Drop period

100%

If form is dated during the first week *

80%

If form is dated during the second week *

60%

If form is dated during the third week *

40%

If form is dated during the fourth week *

20%

If form is dated during the fifth week *

0%

*Note: The calendar week for cancellation of tuition ends on FRIDAY. For example, if the add/drop period ends on a Wednesday, the withdrawal period, for the purpose of tuition credit calculation, will be the end of the business day on Friday of that same week, this would constitute week 1 of the policy. If a student withdraws on the Monday AFTER the end of add/drop, the withdrawal calculation would be for week 2.

The date of withdrawal for purpose of calculating the tuition credit is the date of request on the submitted form.

Appeals to the above policy or calculation for special circumstances may be made in writing to the Business Office.

Transcript requests will not be released for any student who has an outstanding balance with Vermont Law School until the balance and any applicable interest is paid in full.

Payment Plans:

Students who are enrolled in the payment plan option and withdraw during the refund period (first four weeks), should note that their refund will be calculated on the full amount charged, and not the amount remitted via the payment plan.

DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

Fall/Spring/Summer tuition charges will be adjusted according to the following schedule for students taking Distance Learning classes. A student withdrawing (from a course or program) or taking a leave of absence from the school must complete a Request to Withdraw/Leave of Absence form and obtain the Registrar's signature. No credit adjustments will be made for any non-refundable fees or deposits.

Note: Within one semester, there are two Distance Learning Terms and this policy is based on terms for Distance Learning classes.

Spring/Fall/Summer Terms

Tuition Credit

If last access date is prior to the beginning of the Term

100%

If last access date is during the Add/Drop period

100%

If last access date is during the first week *

80%

If last access date is during the second week *

60%

If last access date is during the third week *

40%

If last access date is during the fourth week *

20%

If last access date is during the fifth week *

0%

*Note: The calendar week for cancellation of tuition ends on FRIDAY. For example, if the add/drop period ends on a Wednesday, the withdrawal period for the purpose of tuition credit calculation, will be the end of the day (11:59 p.m. EST) on Friday of that same week, this would constitute week 1 of the policy. If a student withdraws on the Monday AFTER the end of add/drop, the withdrawal calculation would be for week 2.

The date of withdrawal for purpose of calculating the tuition credit is the date the student last accessed the Learning Management System (LMS).

Appeals to the above policy or calculation for special circumstances may be made in writing to the Business Office​.

Transcript requests will not be released for any student who has an outstanding balance with Vermont Law School until the balance and any applicable interest is paid in full.

Title IV Refunds

Should any payments received for a student be made in full or part by any Federal Financial Aid, the Financial Aid Office is required by federal regulations to calculate a Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4) amount for any student who withdraws. A withdrawal includes students who are dismissed, take a leave of absence, or whom discontinue enrollment in classes on or after the first day of class. A Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4) is the amount of unearned aid you received at the beginning of the term that must be returned to the federal aid program. Vermont Law School will return any unearned aid to the applicable lender on the student's behalf. The student will then be required to repay the unearned aid back to Vermont Law School to the extent there is a balance on the student account. Any aid received in excess of the earned amount is considered unearned. The earned portion of the aid is calculated on a daily basis using calendar days of the semester in which the student withdrew. Vermont Law School scholarships will be adjusted based on the same calculations as Federal Financial Aid.